Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-05
EUROPEAN LETTER.
A SACRAMENTAN AMONG THE
BRITISH ISLANDERS.
The Feeling Nuisance-Ways and
Conveniences Not Acceptable to
Americans-Ro Health.
LONDON, February II, 1887.

| line OF steamers. lneSe VeSSelS are large
and powerfully made. The engines are
heavy and capable of driving the vessels at
the rate of eighteen miles an hour against
heavy wind. The walters are polite and
attentive, and on the whole this may be con-
sidered one of the best, if not the best, line
| running between England and America.
On reaching Southampton we went to
the Northwestern Hotel-a hotel at the
railroad station. Here We met with our
first experience in connection with the sys-
TEN of feeling, which is SO universal here.
We had to fee the man who pointed out
the hotel to us. After paying the barber
who shaved me had to pay him a penny
for having failed to cut my throat and
was told that the man who failed once to
give the barber his penny would have his
throat gashed on the next occasion. Two
pence induced the porter to take my trunk
at once to the room Without this he
would have meditated upon the subject for
two hours before attempting to take the
baggage upstairs. The chambermaid was
induced to bring a lunch to the room
for a private pecuniary consideration, but
the head steward said that it would take
him three-quarters of an hour to prepare
it of this he was positive. A pecuniary
consideration made him far less positive
and in FIVE minutes it was ready. He sent
up word with the lunch that, as it was hot
an extra fee had to be paid to the head
steward and moment later the chamber
maid knocked at the door TO ask a shilling
for extra services and she desired 10
know whether her services would be
wanted the next day. At this point
made up my mind to see the manager, y
as they call hotel proprietors here. saw
him and told him of the demands which
had been made. He said that the servants
had no right whatever to make such de-
mands, and told me not to pay them. He
then informed me that such demands would
be made throughout England, and said that
if desired any attendance at all many of
them must be paid, but advised me to pay
nothing except on leaving the hotels. Fees
have to be paid for everything, and every
thing has to be paid for. Men respectfully
dressed on the street, if they walk few
yards TO point out street to you, expect a
penny or half-penny.
RAILROAD CoNvENIENcEs.
The Englishman seems to be fond of in
convenience Their little cars are divided
up into close little apartments not much
larger than dry-goods boxes, and in these
apartments are two seats extending all the
way across the car. and on each of these
benches sit five people facing each other.
their knees touching, and they are crowded
into these air-tight boxes like sardines.
The sides of the cars are composed of doors
opening into these boxes, and men at the
stations throw these doors open at each
station and close them with successive
bangs as the trains move off. There are no
conductors and no brakemen. The cars
are small three of them could be put in
side of ours, and the locomotives look like
toys. They start when man at the sta
ton waves a flag; and, on starting, the
whistle is blown 1nsking noise sound
ing like that produced by blowing into the
head of key Every one rides second or
third. class, and John Bali thinks that he
is moving on the brink of eternity if he is
going at the rate of twelve miles an hour.
ENGLISH PRINTERS.
Everything moves slowly. 1t has taken
printer a week to DO some printing
which would be done for me at home i
two hours. The copy was in nonpareil,
and the printer was especially directed to
set it up in that type. Having received
these directions he printed it in BREWER
foreman in America would have felt dis
graced to see it 90 out of the office in such
a condition. He altered it. having before
him some other printed matter which |
gave him to show him the form in which |
wanted it printed, and when he altered it
he set up this other matter and added 1t to
the rest. After week he got ii straight
ened out But any human being who has
such an intense desire, as every English
man seems TO have. TO ride in the hideously
ugly conveyance which he calls a hanson,
is bound to make blunders in printing.
THE HANSON
Is a covered carriage on two wheels in
which sits the passenger, and just back of
the roof, and above it. sits well-wrapped in
his overcoat. the driver, holding reins
which run like jibstay on a ship to the
horses head, and this head is held up by
the harness like bowsprit AS his body
and that of the passenger is back of the
axletree, the shafts are about the horses
ears, or above them, and the belly-band is
lifting him up, until he feels as if he were
treading on air. This to the horse must be
an unpleasant feeling, as the shoes on them
in this country are perfectly smooth, and
the horses in consequence go along with an
uncertain tread-a tread which seems to
make them feel as if they were skating.
The underground road is a great institu-
ton. On these roads you can go to almost
any part of London in a few moments.
Strangers should always ask for informa-
ton from the police officers. They are al
ways courteous and obliging, and, | am
told, will accept no fees.
What strikes stranger most here, is the
healthy and rudy appearance of the peo-
pie and this believe to be partly due to
what has been so often mentioned before
the fact that men and women are always
walking-and partly to the fact that they
do not work themselves to death. Sunday
is with them day of absolute rest from
business. Every man, woman and child
goes to church once on Sunday and during
the day they take long walk. This, how
ever, is their daily practice, and the women
seem to think nothing of walk of three or
four miles. In fact this is partly forced
upon them by high rates of transportation.
THINGS AS THEY ARE.
expected to find city of old and time
stained Misunderstanding in the shape
and built after the fashions of antiquity (;
! but everything has a modern appearance,
| and it might well be imagined that London
was not over a hundred years old. In
| fact it is hard to think of it as being older.
Il is wonderfully clean city-the middle
of the streets being as clean as the pave
ments.
l had the good fortune to learn of a
clearinghouse kept by the Misses Warner,
80 Dorset Square, two ladies from Boston.
The house is kept on the American plan,
and in this land of fees it seems like a
harbor of refuge. No feeling is permitted
in the house, and you have the pleasure of
knowing that you are paying two dollars
and fifty cents and no more, and that there
is no lurking possibility that you may be
bankrupted by extras. The rooms and
table are excellent. / intend to go on
Monday to Oxford, where | will give a
reading from my dramatic works. | will
20 then to Cambridge and next to Stratford
on the Avon. ADAIR WELcKER.